French Chocolate Cake

It never fails. Making a decision about which dessert to make when having friends over for dinner is rarely a simple one (for me that is). The last course of a meal can sometimes be the most memorable, so I, in typical fashion, put the self-imposed pressure on myself to live up to the memorable dessert expectation. My first thought was chocolate never fails. Something rich, decadent, like Evelyn Sharpe's French Chocolate Cake. My second thought was Panna Cotta (the David Lebovitz version) with Balsamic Strawberries would pair perfectly with the Italian inspired meal. My third and final thoughts were why choose, why not make both, why show restraint. And so that was exactly what I did, I made them both. There are moments when one should exercise restraint, this wasn't one of them.

It is always a risk when you make a dessert for the first time. I have had my share of recipe disasters and of making recipes not living up to the claim of being the best they every ate, best they ever made. But there was something about Evelyn Sharpe's recipe, one created back in 1969 that me think it really would live up to the claims by others as a cake to make your cavities ache and the best chocolate cake they had ever eaten. And if by some chance I messed up the perfection of chocolate decadence, I always had the Panna Cotta as my back-up plan (aka Plan B).

Four eggs, 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, a tablespoon of sugar, a tablespoon of flour, a pinch of sea salt, a pinch of espresso powder, and a pound of chocolate create a cake I will simply describe as wicked. After reading the impressions of others who have made Evelyn Sharpe's cake I decided to add a pinch of sea salt rather than change out the unsalted butter to salted butter. As if a pound of chocolate is not enough to create an intensely chocolatey cake, I decided to ramp up the chocolate just a bit by adding a pinch of espresso powder. I can't explain why just a hint of espresso has the effect of further enhancing the chocolate without imparting a coffee flavor, however, I can tell you that it was Ina Garten who shared this 'secret' years ago. It is one of her best non-kept secrets.

Sharpe's recipe called for one pound of semi-sweet chocolate with no specificity as to the percentage of cocao. In 1969 the number of semi-sweet options accessible to home cooks may have been limited.Today the choices range from 42% all the way up to 72% (often called bittersweet). As the percentage of the cocao increases the less sweet the chocolate it. Considering there was only one tablespoon of sugar in the recipe, I followed the advice of another food blogger and went with chocolate containing 55% cocao. This turned out to be great advice and an even better disaster avoidance strategy.

 

Personally I am not a big fan of melting chocolate in the microwave (at least not at the moment), as I much prefer the melting over simmering water double boiler method (works perfectly every time). Once the chocolate has melted, the bowl of chocolate is removed from the heat. The unsalted butter (cut into pieces), flour, sugar, pinch of sea salt and pinch of espresso powder are stirred in until the butter melts and the mixture looks smooth and shiny.

The yolks from four large eggs are lightly beaten and then slowly whisked into the chocolate mixture (the chocolate mixture will still be warm so whisking in the egg yolks slowly prevents them from cooking).

The four egg whites are whipped until they begin to hold their shape but should still look moist (not dry). The lightly whipped egg whites are carefully and quickly folded into the chocolate mixture until no streaks of egg whites remain.

The entire mixture is poured into a parchment paper lined 9 inch springform pan. Using a springform versus a cake pan makes it so much easier to remove the baked cake and allows for a even more beautiful presentation. The cake is baked for 15 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven. Keep the cake in the oven but turn off the oven and leave the oven door ajar until it cools.

As the cake cooks it will deflate. If you are not serving the cake immediately run a sharp knife along the  edge of the cake and cover with plastic wrap. The cake can be served warm, at room temperature or even chilled. If chilled it will take on a more fudge-like quality. The French Chocolate Cake is intensely rich and will make any chocoholic very, very happy. A sliver of the cake served with a side of freshly whipped sweetened heavy cream will be appreciated by both the most extreme chocoholics and chocolate lovers alike. On a warm day I would serve slivers of this cake sitting on a bed of melted high quality vanilla ice cream (the semi-homemade version of creme anglaise and another one of the Barefoot Contessa's thankfully not-well kept secrets.)

If I needed any validation that this cake was wicked good it would have been by the lack of even a crumb left on the everyones's plates. And maybe I accomplished the goal of having a memorable meal for a group of fabulous, beautiful, smart, fun, funny women I feel fortunate to have as friends.

If there was ever a reason to love French cooking, the French Chocolate Cake is all the reason you need. I can hardly wait to have a reason to make this cake again. And the next time I make this cake for a gathering, I don't think I need to make two desserts. No, I take that back. I know I don't need to make two desserts as this is cake not requiring one to have a Plan B ready and waiting. This cake may have finally taught me the concept of (dessert) restraint, as this really is a cake that lives up to all of its' hype.

Recipe
French Chocolate Cake (inspired by Evelyn Sharpe's French Chocolate Cake recipe)

Ingredients
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (55% cacao)
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 10 pieces
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of espresso powder
1 slightly heaping tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 large eggs, separated
Sweetened Whipped cream and/or melted high quality vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch springform pan (spray and line with parchment paper)
2. Melt chocolate on top of a double boiler.
3. Remove melted chocolate from heat and stir in the butter, flour, sugar, sea salt and espresso powder.
4. Lightly beat egg yolks and gradually whisk into the chocolate mixture.
5. Beat egg whites until you have very soft peaks and they begin to take form (be careful not to over beat or allow them to get to the dry stage).
6. Quickly fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, open oven door so it is ajar and allow cake to cool in oven.
8. Serve with freshly whipped sweetened heavy cream or on a puddle of melted high quality vanilla ice cream. Note: When cutting the cake, run a long thin knife under very hot water and then slice into slivers as this is a very rich cake.

Each of the women at the dinner table were school superintendents. We may have initially been drawn together years ago because we were part of the small minority of women superintendents and each of us had had the common sometimes 'lonely at the top' experience that go with being a school superintendent. We are now all retired from these positions, yet we have stayed together for a very different reason. We all like each other. And as much as our jobs consumed us, our conversations with one another were never dominated by them, then and now.

Individually our paths going into and out of these positions were more different than they were the same. Yet, we each possess some of the same qualities, the kind of qualities that contribute to forming and sustaining friendships. Even though not all of us have seen or been in touch with one another on as regular of a basis, we have that amazing ability to just pick up where we left off. For me, those are the best kinds of friendships, the most enduring ones. Circumstances may have been responsible for bringing us together, but it is our friendship with one another that is now keeping us together.

Goat Cheese & Garlic-Thyme Topped Smashed Baby Potatoes

Every day I look at my empty planters and urns and wonder when or if it will ever get warm enough, dry enough to plant the herbs, hydrangeas, ivy, petunias, ferns and impatiens I have bought, fearing they will soon start to get root bound in their containers. As much as I am enjoying not yet being a slave to their twice a day watering, I am looking forward to the days when the flowers and herbs have grown to the point where I can take cuttings for vases and recipes. No matter how much or little furniture, pieces of art, or collections of antiques are in a room, a vase of freshly cut arranged flowers bring beauty and breath life to a room. Likewise, fresh herbs infuse 'life' into almost every dish they are added to. Just thinking about fresh basil on a margherita pizza or caprese salad, fresh dill on cucumbers or salmon, fresh mint in a mojito, or fresh thyme on potatoes makes me hungry. I really need to get my garden started.

Maybe someday I will grow vegetables. Maybe. However, with the ever expanding choices, abundance, and year round availability of vegetables at grocery stores and farmer's markets there may never be a someday. Out of all of these vegetables, have you noticed how the varieties of potatoes have seemed to increase significantly over the past decade? In addition to the old standards I grew up with (like red, baking, and sweet potatoes) there are now an ever expanding group of new standards (like Yukon Golds, fingerlings, purple majesties, and baby potatoes) to mash, roast, bake, steam, boil, or fry. Of the more than 100 varieties of potatoes available throughout the country, they all fit into one of seven different potato categories: Russet, Red, White, Yellow, Purple/Blue, Fingerling and Petite. The bite-sized bundles of deliciousness of petite (or baby) potatoes have become my recent obsession. Well, actually, Goat Cheese and Garlic-Thyme Topped Smashed Baby Potatoes are the real fixation.

I am anticipating these smashed potatoes will be making a regular appearance on the table here this summer. Let this be a warning (or an enticement) to my family and friends. The Goat Cheese and Garlic-Thyme Topped Smashed Baby Potatoes are a perfect hearty appetizer (paired with chilled Moscato d'Asti or sparkling Rose) and a perfect side to either grilled steaks (paired with a Cabernet or Zinfandel) or chicken (paired with a Chardonnay). One does not really need a reason to open a bottle of wine, it never hurt to have a little external encouragement. And rather than coming from another person, it comes from potatoes, petite baby potatoes.

The Goat Cheese and Garlic-Thyme Topped Smashed Baby Potatoes are amazing when served warm, however, even at room temperature they are still pretty gosh darn mouth watering delicious. 

Fine Cooking recommended placing baby potatoes in a saucepan of salted water, bringing to a boil and then simmering until the potatoes were tender. Cookbook author Claire Robinson recommended placing the baby potatoes on a sheet pan, covering with 3/4 cup of water, tightly covering with foil and baking at 450 degrees until tender. The cooking times for the stovetop and steamed/baked approaches to prepare the potatoes were both approximately 30 minutes. In looking at least a dozen other recipes for smashed baby potatoes, the Fine Cooking method was favored 3 to 1. The odds being in favor of the 'on the stovetop' method were enough to convince me to get out the saucepan.

The cooked potatoes are placed on a cheesecloth or dish towel to drain and cool for approximately two minutes. Placing another cheesecloth or dish towel over the potatoes, they are smashed with a meat tenderizer or flat bottom heavy glass to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

The smashed potatoes are transferred to a baking sheet lined first with aluminum foil and then with parchment paper. A half-cup of olive oil is poured over the potatoes. If you are thinking a half cup of olive oil seems like alot, trust me it's not. To ensure both sides of the potatoes are coated with the olive oil just flip them. 3/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt is sprinkled evenly over the potatoes before they are place in a preheated 450 degree oven.

The potatoes are baked for 30 to 40 minutes (my cooking time was 37 minutes) or until browned on the edges and slightly crispy. Immediately transfer potatoes to a platter, if serving immediately. If you are not serving the potatoes until later, place on a clean baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (taking out at least 30 minutes before baking).

Three cloves of minced garlic are sautéed in three tablespoons of butter before two tablespoons of fresh minced thyme are mixed in. Each potato is topped with a piece of soft goat cheese before the warm garlic-thyme mixture is spooned over. Once you taste and serve the Goat Cheese and Garlic-Thyme Topped Smashed Baby Potatoes, you (1) will want to grow thyme, (2) make sure you have a good supply of wine, and (3) be very thankful there are farmers providing petite (baby) potatoes to the grocery stores.

Recipe
Goat Cheese & Garlic-Thyme Topped Smashed Baby Potatoes

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds baby potato mix (red, yellow and purple/blue)
3 3/4 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons butter
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
3-4 ounces soft goat cheese

Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (bottom layer) and parchment paper (top layer). Set aside.
2. Put potatoes in large saucepan and cover with at least one inch of water. Add three (3) teaspoons of Kosher salt to the water.
3. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender (can be pierced with a skewer) but not falling apart . Total cooking time will be 30-35 minutes.
4. Drain water from saucepan. Individually place potatoes on top of a dish towel or folded cheesecloth and allow to dry for a 1-2 minutes.
5. Place another folded dish towel cheesecloth on top of potatoes and press down on each one until they are flattened to a thickness of approximately 1/2 inch. 
6. Transfer smashed potatoes to prepared baking sheet and allow to cool. (If not roasting immediately, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Bring out at least 30 minutes before roasting if refrigerated.)
7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
8. Pour olive oil over potatoes, turning to ensure both sides are coated. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt.
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes until edges are lightly browned and potatoes have crisped.
10. Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter and sauté garlic. Stir in minced thyme.
11. Place potatoes on platter. Top each potato with goat cheese before spooning over the garlic-thyme mixture. Serve immediately.

Dark Molasses Ginger Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing

The change of seasons almost seems magical here in the midwest. The barren, almost monochromatic landscape is transformed into one so breathtakingly bucolic one momentarily forgets the biting cold and bleakness of winter. Walking under the canopies of trees with branches already weighted heavily with their leaves makes your heart race. Taking in nature's beauty can almost leave you feeling breathless, a kind of breathlessness bliss.

The warmth and humidity brought on by several days of rain here should not have had me craving the taste of the more autumnal spices of cinnamon, ginger and cloves, but I was. There is often a rhyme and reason to my seemingly eclectic cravings even when they may seem a little out of sync with seasons. The sources of inspiration for my food cravings come from books I might be reading or from the photographs of places I have traveled. And then sometimes they come from the recalling significant life events and celebrations. In this case the craving for the Dark Molasses Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing came from the reminiscence of a spring trip to Wales for the 'wedding in a castle' marriage of two very dear friends.

At this point you might be wondering how in the world a wedding in the English countryside prompted visions of and a craving for a gingerbread cake considering gingerbread is actually German in origin. Let's just say the connections I make to things can be a little unique, however, in this case there is an easy explanation. There is actually a historical connection between gingerbread and a town in England, Market Drayton, often referred to as the 'Home of Gingerbread'. So in my world gingerbread and England go together like tea and crumpets, like fish and chips, and yes, like fairytale weddings and castles.

My euphoria over the beauty of the Dark Molasses Ginger Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing had me hit the 'publish' button well before the blog posting was finished. And because I do not know how to revert back to draft, some of you will see this post in its very early form (yikes). In the spirit of the simplicity of the cake created by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, I will take the 'pictures tell a thousand words' approach and show some verbal restraint.

In a large bowl, the dry ingredients (cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) are sifted together, spices whisked in. Butter is melted in a cup of boiling water then whisked into the flour mixture (the aroma of the spices is heavenly). Add in the lightly beaten eggs along with the molasses and the batter is done.

The batter is poured into a prepared eight (yes 8) inch cake pan, placed into a preheated 350 degree oven and baked for 40 to 50 minutes. (Adjust baking time if using a 9 inch cake pan.) When a toothpick inserted into the center of the cracked cake comes out free of raw batter the cake is done. Allow the cake to cool before unmolding, inverting, and placing on a platter or cake stand. Not only will the height of the cake change slightly if baked in a 9 inch cake pan, but there will be different (better if you like more icing) cake to icing ratio.

The Dark Molasses Ginger Cake is not only moist but it has a great depth of flavor. Sweetened whipped cream or a brown sugar cream cheese icing both compliment and balance the flavors in this cake.

Just as Mother Nature adorns its trees with flowers and fruit, the brown sugar cream cheese icing takes this cake from being the perfection of simplicity to the perfection of decadence. One worthy of being a birthday cake, wedding cake, or anniversary cake. The creaminess of the icing provides a great balance to the cakes deep molasses flavor.

Originally I was going to ice the cake with a plain cream cheese frosting, but then I came across a (love at first reading) recipe for a Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing. Maybe it was fate, but the ginger cake and this icing were destined to be a perfect union.

Depending on the occasion, you can ice the cake with either an offset spatula (for a more rustic, low-country kind of look) or with a pastry bag (for a more bakery finished look). Without icing, this cake is perfect for breakfast, for snacking. With icing the serving possibilities are endless. Plain or iced it is a show stopping beautiful, four season, delicious, simple country cake created by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. The short, yet very touching documentary giving you a glimpse of Edna's life and her friendship with Scott is a must watch. 

Recipe 
Dark Molasses Ginger Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Icing (cake inspired by the recipe created by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock in "The Gift of Southern Cooking") 

Ingredients
Ginger Cake
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup boiling water
2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) dark (robust) molasses
Serving suggestion if cake is not iced: Freshly sweetened whipped cream

Brown Sugar Icing
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectionary sugar, sifted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of sea salt

Directions
Ginger Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8 inch cake pan lining with parchment paper.
2. Sift flour with baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk in spices and salt.
3. Bring one cup of water to a boil. Add butter and stir until butter has melted. 
4. Whisk water/butter into flour mixture. Note: The batter will seize slightly when you combine the flour with the butter/water.
5. Add lightly beaten eggs and molasses whisking until well blended.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (or until cake tester placed in center of cake comes out without any trace of raw batter). Note: Interior of cake will be moist.
7. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

Brown Sugar Icing
1. Using a hand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. 
2. Mix in brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt until blended.
3. Beat in sifted confectionary sugar in two or three additions.

Fresh Apple Cake

There isn't a day that goes by where I am not reminded of all of the women who have nurtured my soul and my spirit over the course of my life thus far. As Mother's Day approaches these reminders cause me to be thankful for the blessings which were the direct result of my life path crossing with the women who have shared their wisdom, extended kindnesses, gifted me with their time, provided support, listened without judgment, and sometimes even passed on their recipes to me. From mothers of friends, to neighbors, to friends, to my administrative assistants over the years, these women have often been like surrogate mothers, filling the small, sometimes large voids in my life. They have been some of the wisest, most brilliant, and unselfish women I have had the good fortunate to know, admire, respect, and love.

The other day I was looking through some of my cookbooks when I discovered a yellowed, folded piece of paper with the typewritten recipe for a Fresh Apple Cake on it. The discovery of a lost treasure. If an anthropologist has the ability to date important artifacts, they would be accurate if they identified this piece of paper as being 35 years old. Beyond determining its' age, they most likely would not be able to discern the backstory of this recipe. Because behind almost every handwritten or hand typed recipe there is almost always a story.

Very early on in my professional life, I worked for an educational organization where all of the administrators were supported by a group of hardworking, dedicated, going above and beyond the call of duty secretaries (yes, secretaries, the concept of administrative assistants was not yet conceived). They read our (or I should say my) illegible handwriting (this was in the days before computers), they miraculously never let us miss a deadline, and they sometimes brought in homemade baked goods for our meetings (this was in the days before there were a proliferation of bagel shops and bakery-cafes). Yes, after a long day at the office and going home to take care of their families, they were also taking care of (spoiling actually) us. 

The typewritten recipe for the Fresh Apple Cake came from the 'secretary' that supported me. Her name was Jan. In addition to her role as a 'secretary' she was a lifesaver/coach/confidant/protector/cheerleader/handwritingdecipherer all wrapped into one. Finding the Fresh Apple Cake recipe brought back a flood of memories. Not only of how much I learned from her, but also how much of a surrogate 'mother' she was to me and others. 

I had written some notes on the typewritten Fresh Apple Cake recipe, reflecting some of the tweaks I had made to her recipe way back when. It had been years since I made this cake (another one of those recipes thought to be forever lost). I couldn't help but think it was rather serendipitous finding the recipe just days before Mother's Day.

There are many versions of a Fresh Apple Cake out there and while admittedly not having made or tasted all of them, this recipe might be one of the best. And not just for sentimental reasons. It is moist, crunchy on the edges, not to sweet but ever so satisfying the sweet tooth, and it is beautiful.

It is a cake perfect for dessert, for breakfast, for a morning or afternoon meeting and oh yes, for Mother's Day. This recipe does not require the use a mixer, although you can use one if you want to. A whisk and spatula or wooden spoon will create a perfect cake.

Some apple cakes will call for a mixture of apples, but I have always found this to be a little too evasive for me. I like clarity and I love Granny Smith apples. What I love even more is their tartness and texture in this cake. So for this cake recipe the recommended apples are Granny Smiths. The cake calls for 4 cups of peeled and diced apples and so depending on the size of your apples you may need 4 or 5. Once the apples are diced, toss with approximately two tablespoons of all-purpose flour and set aside. The flour coating on the apples will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking.

In a large bowl, the vegetable oil and granulated sugar are whisked until well combined. You will need to put some muscle in this to ensure these two ingredients are well blended (as an added benefit your arms will get a quick workout in). Three large eggs (yes the photo only shows two, but trust me, it needs three eggs) are whisked in until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla. Using a spatula, mix in the sifted dry ingredients (flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda) until well combined.

The diced apples and chopped, toasted walnuts are mixed in last. After they have been incorporated you will have a very thick batter. The toasted walnuts really add a depth of flavor to this cake, so I encourage you to keep them in. As a reminder, to toast walnuts, place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 

I used a 9 inch coffee cake pan (Nordicware made the pan I used), however, you could also use a tube pan. Regardless of whether or not the pan you use is non-stick pan, butter/spray and flour the pan (don't forget this step or you will be cursing when you go to unmold the baked cake). In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake the Fresh Apple Cake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. This is a moist cake, one that gets even moister the second day, so you want to be sure to not undercook it.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan before unmolding onto a platter or cake stand. Top the cooled, unmolded cake with sifted confectionary sugar. The cake is delicious adorned only with confectionary sugar, however, a little freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream compliments the cake perfectly. 

Recipe
Fresh Apple Cake (inspired from a recipe shared a lifetime ago by Jan Bilow)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature 
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons for stirring into diced apples
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon of Saigon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (about 4-5 apples, depending on size)
1 cup roasted and chopped walnuts
Optional: 1 cup dark raisins, soaked in hot water and then drained before adding in
Confectionary sugar for dusting
Whipping cream for serving

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch coffee cake or tube pan.
2. Sift flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Toss diced apples with two tablespoons of flour in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
4. Whisk together the vegetable oil and sugar until well blended.
5. Whisk in eggs until well incorporated.
6. Stir in vanilla.
7. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
8. Stir in apples and walnuts until well combined. The batter will be very thick.
9. Bake cake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Allow cake to cool in pan before unmolding onto a platter or cake stand.
11. Sift confectionary sugar over cooled, unmolded cake.
12. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

As someone without children of my own, I have always looked at Mother's Day through a slightly different lens. That being looking at it as a day to celebrate all of the women who have come into my life and been like surrogate mothers to me. The first time they came into my life when I was in elementary school, only I didn't have the word at the time to describe this relationship. Early on they were the mothers of my friends as they seemed to have a kind of sixth sense about me (I have always been relatively easy to read). But later on there was a randomness (or so it seemed at the time) to the women who became more than just a casual acquaintance. Sometimes they were in my life for long periods of time and sometimes just for a short while, however, the impact they each had on me was not time dependent.

As I take that rearview window look at the various points in my life, I am well aware that I sometimes consciously sought out these women or they, for reasons at first unknown, found me. I truly believe we don't sit back and wait for lifelines to come into our lives, sometimes we go out and find them, and then sometimes they seem to find us. Just as I think it was fate that I found the Fresh Apple Cake recipe days before Mother's Day, I believe fate has also been responsible for bringing so many amazing women, amazing surrogate mothers into my life. So as you celebrate Mother's Day this year, I hope you too will remember all of the women who have been there for you, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.